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THE INDIA RUBBER WORLD 



[November 1, 1916. 



Interesting Letters from Our Readers. 



THE MECHANICAL RECLAIMING PROCESS. 



To THE Editck ok The India Rlbber Wori-o: 



DEAR SIR— I have read with much interest tlie report of 

 your address at the chemical meeting. Your reference 

 to the "pioneers" of the rubber industry is most pleasing. 

 But are you not mistaken in naming Mr. Clapp as an inventor 

 in the reclaiming process? He was one of the pioneers lieyond 

 question, but he acquired his knowledge of the business through 

 J. B. Forsyth as 1 understand it. Mr. Forsyth one day gave me 

 a detailed account of how he was the first one to reclaim rubber 

 and how^ the health authorities of Boston compelled him to dis- 

 continue the work at Roxbury on account of the odor arising 

 from it. Thereupon he persuaded and assisted Mr. Clapp to en- 

 gage in the business at Hanover and was the sole user for a 

 while, but later admitted the Boston Shoe Co. to a supply. 



The Boston Shoe Co. had three years' start of its competi- 

 tors in use of reclaimed and that was the basis of its subsequent 

 prosperity. 



It was very clear from Mr. Forsyth's statement that the pro- 

 cess had its origin at Ro.xbury, and that Mr. Clapp was associ- 

 ated at Hanover, as a matter of friendship, to establish him 

 in the business. George W.\tkinso>.-. 



[A pioneer in rubber himself. Mr. Watkinson brings up a very 

 interesting point, and we are more than pleased to give the 

 reason for our faith. We believe that Eugene H. Clapp was 

 the real inventor of the "mechanical process" in reclaiming and 

 this is w'hy : 



The real beginning of the reclaiming of vulcanized scrap 

 was accomplished by Hiram Hall at the Beverly Rubber Works in 

 1858. The scrap was ground fine, boiled in hot water, (later it 

 was devulcanized in hot steam), mixed with tar, spread on 

 cloth and "solarized." Later J. B. Forsyth reclaimed vulcanized 

 scrap, but did not remove the fiber. Eugene H. Clapp, -who was 

 a close friend of Forsyth, as Mr. Watkinson states, took over 

 the grinding and devulcanizing of scrap for the Boston Belt- 

 ing Co., and did a small business. While doing this he invented 

 the "air blast" process which removed all of the fiber and 

 produced a far superior stock, that was at once in demand, 

 the "air blast" he kept secret for several j'ears and built up 

 a big business because of it. In other words, he was the first 

 to produce "mechanical" reclaimed rubber that could be used in 

 general work, and for many years was the only source of 

 supply for the trade.— The Editor.] 



THE RUBBER CHEMIST'S PROBLEMS. 



To THE Editor of The Indi.a Rubber World: 



DE.\R SIR— In your recent address before the rubber chemists, 

 published in the October issue, the introductory letter, which 

 you describe as coming from an old-time rubber superintendent, 

 appeals to me as being somewhat peculiar. Its contents may 

 be judged from different points of view, and in replying it would 

 hardly be fair to assume eitlier that his attitude is wholly in- 

 correct or yet quite correct. 



The most difficult position among the many Ijranches of in- 

 dustrial chemistry is doubtless that of the rubber chemist, the 

 more so because of a seeming unwillingness in certain quarters 

 to accord credit where credit is due. 



In most modern industries it has been found necessary to an- 

 alyze the raw materials, and, in very many cases also the product, 

 as, for example, fertilizers, rubber goods, beers, etc. Many 

 years of such analysis have developed standard methods, and 

 today a chemist working in a fertilizer factory has his daily 

 routine carried on automatically, yet his work is correct and 

 valuable, but his position simple. 



An entirely different proposition confronts the rubber chemist. 



Certainly most rubljer chemists <lo routine work only, and many 

 even think that is all there is to be done. Of course, to 

 analyze crude rubber and other raw materials, such as mineral 

 fillers, substitutes and specification goods, routine analysis is 

 sufficient. But considering the intricacies of compounding, vul- 

 canization, etc., this requires altogether more varied activity 

 and knowledge than any routine work in other branches of in- 

 dustrial chemistry. But this is not all a real rubber chemist 

 has to ilci. W'c must remember that many mechanical rubber 

 goods are used in almost every industry, and some are subjected 

 to various chemical processes. Any practical rubber man must 

 admit that there come daily different complaints and questions, 

 as, for example, can you make rubber rollers which will stand 

 73 per cent sulphuric acid, or rubber hose to withstand the action 

 of acetic acid, or rubber washers to withstand chlorine gas, and 

 hundreds of similar queries. Who should solve these problems? 

 Would it not be hopeless to mix, without any chemical knowl- 

 edge, dozens of compounds just to try them out, or should we 

 give to the customer anything we may believe may do? We 

 often hear that factories offer acid hose, one compound hose for 

 all acids, like a single remedy for all sicknesses; and yet it is a 

 fact that a compound which will withstand concentrated hydro- 

 chloric acid will not withstand 20 per cent acetic acid and vice 

 versa. Since satisfactory service is the best fundament for 

 business, every detail must be worked out. So here we have 

 examples of the' great difficulties rubber chemists have to meet, 

 and while, to solve such problems, depends more upon individual 

 capability thin experience alone, it so happens that the chemist 

 occasionally fails to solve such problems; and if the chemist 

 fail, what chance has a practical rubber man without any chemi- 

 cal knowledge? But even though a manufacturer has had unfor- 

 tunate experience with one chemist, this does not justify him to 

 judge all the rest by the same measure. 



I have cited here only a few examples of daily occurrence in 

 rubber factories, but there is an imlimited field for research work 

 on such problems as you described in your address. We live in 

 jirogressive times and are forced to be progressive in order to 

 meet competition ; and, since the rubber industry is closely allied 

 to cliemical industry in general, a good chemist is absolutely 

 necessary to keep the factory up to date. Although a poor chem- 

 ist is just better than none, a good one will prove one of the best 

 possible investments. 



D. Repony. 



Passaic, New Jersey, October 13, 1916. 



JUDICIAL DECISIONS. 



1\ /IILLER Rubber Co. .^nd Others v. Citizen.?' Trust & S.w- 

 '■^*' INGS Bank. This case involved the subjects of bank- 

 ruptcy ; reclamation of property ; consignment and sale ; prin- 

 cipal and agent ; contract of agency and commissions. 



By a contract, the claimant made bankrupt its exclusive 

 agent for the sale of its goods within a certain territory, and 

 agreed to keep him supplied with a stock which should remain 

 claimant's property until sold to bona fide customers in the 

 usual course of business. The contract did not fix, nor reserve 

 the right to fix, prices at which the goods were to be sold, 

 nor require bankrupt to account for the proceeds, but required 

 him to report those on hand each month, and pay for goods 

 sold, at a stated discount from list price, with provision for a 

 credit of four months, if desired, up to a certain amount. Bank- - 

 rupt was permitted to mingle the claimant's goods with his 

 other stock, and the contract required claimant to furnish him 



